Kodiaq guarded safety at the Central European Rally

The red Škoda Kodiaq with the starting number 00 on its bonnet kept a watchful eye on stage safety during last year's Central European Rally. In fact, as part of the competition's safety assurance, the front-runner's car impressed not only with its colouring, which refers to the legendary Škoda 200RS specials, but also with its agile passes on the track.

One of the important safety features during a rally is the role of the marshals. These are the crews who, after the FIA safety delegate drives through the race track in road cars, check the track once more to make sure it is fit for competition cars to start. During the Central European Rally, this role was taken on by the crew of V. Malina and P. Hrnčířová from the Škoda Rally Club, an association of former active drivers who help to improve safety during rallies.

"It was really difficult to stay on the track up to 27 kilometres long in front of the competition special and it required driving really hard. The all-wheel drive helped us a lot, as it kept us going in the mud and rain," says front-runner Vladimír Malina. At this pace, the crew still had to keep up with the tasks that were transmitted to them by radio by safety delegate Michèle Mouton, or even by the competition control room. "It's about checking some places to make sure everything is safe," explains Malina. The crew relays their findings back to the safety delegate, or to the control room or race management, and the findings can even mean stopping the stage if there are problems.

"The Kodiaq earned the appreciation of the audience and the organisers in this role," says Malina about the participation. The car's unconventional colouring attracted a lot of attention, and footage of it appeared all over the world. Above all, however, it and its crew handled the role entrusted to them with flying colours. Thanks to this, the Škoda Rally Club crews should play their part in ensuring safety during this year's Central European Rally.